Based on the Berlin short stories by Christopher Isherwood, the play
I Am a Camera
, and the Broadway production of the same name,
Cabaret
was shot in West Germany in the early 1970s. Centered primarily around
the seedy Kit Kat Klub, the film ruthlessly depicts Berlin in the last
days of the decadent Weimar Republic, and the terrifying rise of Nazism in
1930s Germany.

Fosse cleverly interweaves the action taking place on the stage of the
club with the political and social action occurring in the streets. The
musical numbers performed for the most part impeccably by Liza Minnelli as
Sally Bowles, and her entourage, a group of sleazy female musicians and
dancers, mirror real life, and are directed beautifully by the
manipulative Master of Ceremonies (brilliantly performed by Joel Grey).

Brian Roberts (Michael York), an aspiring author and repressed homosexual,
comes to Berlin to write and to teach English. He finds himself living in
the bohemian boarding house inhabited by Bowles, and is introduced to the
sexually liberating atmosphere of the Kit Kat Klub. While the Master of
Ceremonies reflects that: ". . . life is disappointing? Forget it!
In here [the club] life is beautiful," the seediness and obvious
vulgarity of the audience and performers reinforce that this is far from
the truth. In another scene, a Nazi officer is booted out of the club by
the manager; later we see the same man being brutally beaten by a group of
young Nazi thugs.

Although Brian makes it clear to Sally that he is not at all interested in
women sexually, the pair embark on an affair. The couple find their
seemingly unreal existence complicated by the rich, mercurial Baron
Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Griem) who tantalizes and tempts both of
them. Sally is seduced by champagne,

Cabaret

wonderful clothes, and the opulence and decadence of the baron's
life—Brian, who is at first sceptical, and also a little jealous of
the baron's uninhibited behaviour, is literally seduced by the man,
who disappears as quickly as he enters their life. Sally discovers she is
pregnant and briefly deludes herself that she and Brian have a future
together. Finally she realizes that what they have experienced is
completely removed from her reality, and she has an abortion. Brian leaves
Germany, and Sally continues her life as a cabaret singer in Berlin.

Against this storyline, two of Brian's language students fall in
love. Feckless Fritz (Fritz Wepper), a fortune hunter, seizes his chance
when he meets beautiful and rich Jewish heiress, Natalia (Marisa
Berenson), only to fall genuinely in love with her. Natalia believes Fritz
is a Christian and recognizing the political instability of Germany, and
the brutality of the Nazis she refuses to have anything to do with him.
Only when Fritz confesses that he is a Jew pretending to be a Christian,
does Natalia agree to marry him.

The changing political atmosphere and growth of anti-semitism in Germany
is illustrated by the victimization of Natalia in her family home by a
group of young boys, who eventually slaughter her dog and leave it on her
doorstep. Brian also witnesses the frightening strength of the Fascists
when he visits a beer garden with the baron. Arriving in the
baron's limousine, the two men leave Sally sleeping in the car.
While the two men are drinking, a lone very pure voice begins to sing
"Tomorrow Belongs to Me," slowly and with great feeling. The
camera focuses on the young man's almost perfect Aryan features,
tracking the increasing fervour with which he sings. Gradually, other
members of the beer garden begin to stand up and join in, the camera
closing in on the glazed expressions on their faces. Finally, when almost
everyone is on their feet, the camera pans down and reveals the Nazi
armband of the young man who instigated the singing. This technique was
used in Nazi propaganda films. Brian and the baron leave to the sound of
the group's harmony, climbing into their luxurious car and driving
away—indicating that because the baron is rich and Sally and Brian
are foreigners they will always have the option to leave this horrendous
reality behind.

Cabaret
is an incredibly innovative film. Now regarded as a classic, the
film's use of colour, the garishness of the costumes, the smokiness
of the club, the brightness and exaggeration of the makeup emphasize the
decadence of the time. The musical score and choreography are well crafted
and performed, and are deliberately kept to the stage of the Kit Kat Klub
("Tomorrow Belongs to Me" is
the only exception to this). Minnelli performs her songs emotively and
convincingly, if anything she is too good for the small, decadent
atmosphere of the Klub.

On its release in 1972,
Cabaret
was received to great acclaim— winning eight Academy Awards, and
three Golden Globe Awards.

—A. Pillai

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: